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07.09.2013 Feature Article

VALUE OF OXIDATION AND ANTIOXIDANTS

VALUE OF OXIDATION AND ANTIOXIDANTS
07.09.2013 LISTEN

The concept of enlightening you on oxidative and antioxidants products was conceived after realizing the many side effects that people on anti-retro viral drugs are faced with apart from the normal course of the AIDS condition. Some of the elements or details herein may just be your solution. Some anti-retro viral drugs may predispose to fat maldistribution in our bodies and subsequently increase likelihood of stroke and what you are about to read is a solution to one or many of the symptoms in compromised immunity. Nevertheless, your status was the least of my concerns but your strength in you immune response and wellbeing. This is because in any status, free radicals exists that needs a buffering system to ensure they remain in their stable form.

Free radicals are produced under certain environmental conditions and during normal cellular function in the body. These molecules are missing an electron, giving them an electric charge. To neutralize this charge, free radicals try to steal an electron from, or donate an electron to, a neighboring molecule. This process, called oxidation, creates a new free radical from the neighboring molecule. The newly created free radical, in turn, searches out another molecule and steals or donates an electron, setting off a chain reaction that can damage hundreds of molecules.

Antioxidants halt this chain reaction. Some antioxidants are themselves free radicals, donating electrons to stabilize and neutralize the dangerous free radicals. Other antioxidants work against the molecules that form free radicals, destroying them before they can begin the domino effect that leads to oxidative damage.

About 5 percent of the oxygen humans breathe is converted into free radicals. The presence of free radicals in the body is not always detrimental. Free radicals produced in normal cellular metabolism are vital to certain body functions, such as fighting disease or injury. When tissue is diseased or damaged, the body's immune system sends disease fighting cells to the site, where they produce free radicals in an effort to destroy foreign invaders.

But as the body ages or is subjected to environmental pollutants, such as cigarette smoke, overexposure to sunlight, or smog, the body becomes overwhelmed by free radicals. An excessive number of free radicals causes damage by taking electrons from key cellular components of the body, such as protein, lipids, and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the molecule that carries genetic information in every living cell. These reactions make cells more vulnerable to cancer-causing chemicals, called carcinogens. Free radicals may lead to heart disease by oxidizing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the so-called bad cholesterol. Researchers now believe that only the oxidized form of LDL cholesterol leads to hardening of the arteries, a condition that can ultimately lead to heart disease. Free radicals have also been implicated in cataract, a clouding of the lens of the eye that can lead to blindness.

Antioxidants work to control the levels of free radicals before they do oxidative damage to the body. For example, certain enzymes in the body, such as superoxide dismutase, work with other chemicals to transform free radicals into harmless molecules. Dietary antioxidants supplement the action of enzymes that occur naturally in the body, and some studies show that a diet high in foods that are rich in antioxidants may decrease the risk of cancer and heart disease. Studies are inconclusive, however, and research into the health benefits of antioxidants is ongoing.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a well-known antioxidant that may prevent cataracts and cancers of the stomach, throat, mouth, and pancreas. It may also prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, lowering the risk of heart disease. Foods that are high in vitamin C include strawberries, oranges, broccoli, and brussels sprouts.

Beta-carotene absorbs free radicals that target molecules in the cell membrane. Studies suggest that in addition to reducing the risk of cataract, cancer, and heart attack, beta-carotene may also reduce the risk of stroke. Beta-carotene occurs naturally in orange-colored fruits and vegetables and dark green, leafy vegetables. Some of the best sources of beta-carotene are sweet potatoes, spinach, and carrots.

As an antioxidant, vitamin E may also protect from heart disease and cataract and may strengthen the immune system. Good sources of vitamin E include wheat germ oil and sunflower seeds.

Antioxidants are also used in industry as product additives and in food processing and preservation. Industrial antioxidants slow or prevent oxidative damage that causes food to spoil, rubber to harden, fats and oil to change color or go rancid, and gasoline to oxidize. Foods that are commonly preserved with antioxidant additives include cheese, bread, and oil. Antioxidants used as food preservatives include vitamin C and the synthetic antioxidants butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). These antioxidants are added to foods in concentrations of much less than 1 percent.

Now that you have the remedy of this piece of information, we have no doubt that you will take the right decision in your diet selection. If you have more time with each and every health team player, you will realize that you will have rebased your spending on herbal and nutritional supplement to something within your budget. If you realize that it is necessary now, make an appointment with a health specialist in your area and learn two or more things pertaining your health.

JONES. H. MUNANG'ANDU (author)
Motivational speaker, health commentator &
Health practitioner
[email protected]
Mobile; 0966565670/0979362525

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